Santa Claus Is Still Coming To This Town

During the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, my kids make me think about how much I cherish this time of year. Before our kids came into our lives, the holidays were important, but also a respite from the hectic work pace. Now, our kids make it all the more worthwhile.

Yesterday, my five-year-old son wanted to know if it was possible to call Santa Claus. I responded that I usually e-mailed him because Santa and the elves were so busy this time of year. My eight-year-old daughter chimed in, “Well, we probably need to call the corporate number and leave a message.”

I am thrilled that both of my kids still believe in Santa Claus and the thought of ending these conversations makes me a little sad. It also prompted me to do a bit of research, which revealed that the average age that kids stop believing in good ole St. Nick is usually between 8- 10 years.

We are on the cusp. I know that my daughter has these conversations at school, especially with kids with older siblings. If my daughter suspects Santa is not real, she is not letting on to her parents or little brother. I know some parents maintain that perpetuating the Santa myth is akin to lying to their children; others maintain that the holidays focus too much on consumerism. I agree that there is definitely some of the latter.

There are numerous other politically correct reasons people love to bash the Santa myth and find it harmful to children. I say, to each his own. The beauty of America is that we embrace many choices.

For our family, we want to enjoy the magical and exciting world of Santa Claus that we have helped create for our children. Sure, Santa may not really exist, but believing in him for a few years of a hopefully long life is a lot of fun for our family, especially the parents!

So I grew up without the Santa story and I never missed it for a moment. It just was not part of my culture. I told my daughters that Santa was just a fun story and they refuse to believe me. When St. Nicholas visited my oldest daughter’s school on the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), she came home and explained to me, “Mom! Mom! Santa is real. I met him.”

So I’m just taking a strict neutrality approach to the issue. I don’t say he’s not real. I don’t say he’s real. But he does give the kids a lot of joy to dream about and I think that’s a great part of childhood.

Mollie Hemingway, Ed.: So I grew up without the Santa story and I never missed it for a moment. It just was not part of my culture. I told my daughters that Santa was just a fun story and they refuse to believe me. When St. Nicholas visited my oldest daughter’s school on the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), she came home and explained to me, “Mom! Mom! Santa is real. I met him.”

So I’m just taking a strict neutrality approach to the issue. I don’t say he’s not real. I don’t say he’s real. But he does give the kids a lot of joy to dream about and I think that’s a great part of childhood. · 0 minutes ago

Come on, Mollie, if Santa isn’t real, how does NORAD track him every year? ;)

My oldest son is 21 and has Down Syndrome. Part of the joy he brings to our home is his complete joy about Santa and Christmas 365 days a year. We have Christmas movies and music all the time. His brothers (16, 19) used to hate it, but as they have gotten older they have embraced their ‘big’ brother’s love of Santa. We put him to bed by 10pm on 12/24 so Santa can pick him up and he helps Santa in Colorado.

One of my great joys is asking him on Christmas morning if he worked hard helping Santa. His reply is “yes, busy!”

Mollie Hemingway, Ed.: So I grew up without the Santa story and I never missed it for a moment. It just was not part of my culture. I told my daughters that Santa was just a fun story and they refuse to believe me. When St. Nicholas visited my oldest daughter’s school on the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), she came home and explained to me, “Mom! Mom! Santa is real. I met him.”

So I’m just taking a strict neutrality approach to the issue. I don’t say he’s not real. I don’t say he’s real. But he does give the kids a lot of joy to dream about and I think that’s a great part of childhood. · 1 hour ago

Mike McConnaughey: My oldest son is 21 and has Down Syndrome. Part of the joy he brings to our home is his complete joy about Santa and Christmas 365 days a year. We have Christmas movies and music all the time. His brothers (16, 19) used to hate it, but as they have gotten older they have embraced their ‘big’ brother’s love of Santa. We put him to bed by 10pm on 12/24 so Santa can pick him up and he helps Santa in Colorado.

One of my great joys is asking him on Christmas morning if he worked hard helping Santa. His reply is “yes, busy!” · 1 hour ago